Averill Park
They are getting here and they are ready to go.”
Carl Nitz and Jake Bornt are gone off to greener pastures. Bornt, a three year varsity starter and Third Team All-State member last season, and Nitz, another multiple year starter and last seasons Averill Park leading rusher, leave holes in the lineup that now need to be filled.
“We lost Carl Nitz which was a big loss for us, but Dan McShane, his back up last year, rushed for over 135 yards in the Queensbury game,” said Gobel.
“Jake Bornt was a third team All- State safety and three year starter who graduated and that is right up the middle of the defense. Without question we have some big shoes to fill with those guys, but with the guys we have coming up, our inside guys are great.”
On the defense, guys like Joe Milanese, Matt Shoemaker, and Olin Wagner all look to be spark plugs.
“Once you see who has the ball, if it is a pass you have to get in your drops and when it is run you go at the ball one hundred percent like your hair is on fire,” said Milanese. “It’s really just going all out and playing more as a team than individually.”
On the offensive side, the backfield is full of returning guys like Dan McShane, Jack Long, and Matt Morin. Add in now senior and returning starting quarterback Anthony Childrose, the Warriors’ offense is leadership driven.
“I’m excited to have Anthony back. It’s a cliche but it is a coach on the field type of thing,” said Gobel. “He did a good job of getting us in and out of things we needed him to last year. He’s got a little bit of a better grasp of it this year. In addition to that, he has come in more vocal than he has in the past, working harder than he has in the past, so we are excited with where he is at.”
Childrose, a baseball and basketball player as well, adds another threat in the ground game when he gets his hands on the ball. Not only that, but Childrose’s ability to throw on the run makes him very deceptive to defenses.
“I have got a lot of confidence, especially with all these kids putting in the work all summer,” said Childrose. “I also feel more confident in the playbook.”
Childrose is also happy with how the offensive line looks, and so is Gobel. A mix of newcomers and veterans, the Warriors line looks to be much quicker and mobile than last season’s, which plays well into the Gobel’s offense.
“Here’s the funny thing. We were monsters last year. This year, you may look around and not realize which guy is which, but I will tell you what, those guys can run like crazy,” said Gobel.
“For what we do, that is usually the preference. I had to adapt last year to the size we had. This year, they are more aligned with us and what we do. Having Mike Minehan back at center is a huge help to secure that line. Nick Marchese, who is only a sophomore, is going to be something special.”
The Warriors put work in during the offseason. As the preseason camp winds down and the season slowly approaches, Gobel is happy with how conditioned the team came into camp this year.
“We expected them to come in in shape and they are in tremendous shape,” said Gobel. “What we end up coming into is not having to do anything extra. We don’t have to make up for anything they had to do. Because they come in in shape, we can focus more on the techniques and X’s and O’s. When they are a little bit more tired, they will be able to be that much better.”
Gobel continued.
“You hear me mentioning it to them, I’m ready to give them more rest than they need during some of the conditioning stuff we are doing,” said Gobel. “They are in shape ready to go. We need to work on some of the details, we haven’t been able to do too much on the fundamental stuff.”
Averill Park starts the season on September 6 with Columbia. A close neighbor, the two teams have only met a handful of times in Gobel’s tenure, but he is excited for the idea of starting the season with a new “rivalry” game.
“Rivalry game man, rivalry game,” said Gobel. “We played them last year. This is my eleventh year, this will probably be the third or fourth time we play them. We are trying to develop a little something with them. We are trying to get that cross-town rivalry.”
Along with starting the season with a rival, the Warriors end the season with possibly their tallest task, Shenendehowa.
“It’s always nice to get that game before the playoffs that is going to challenge you,” said Gobel. “Coach Clawsen does a terrific job over there as well as the staff and the kids. Obviously the numbers they have over us will help them out quite a bit, but we are excited to play them.”
Kickoff for Averill Park’s game Friday is set for 7 p.m. Their full schedule is below.
September 6, Averill Park vs. Columbia: Averill Park High School, 7 p.m.
September 13, Averill Park vs. Albany: Averill Park High School, 7 p.m.
September 20, Averill Park at Green Tech: Green Tech, TBD
September 27, Averill Park at La Salle Institute: La Salle Institute, 7 p.m.
October 4, Averill Park vs. Troy: Averill Park High School, 7 p.m.
October 11, Averill Park at Amsterdam: Amsterdam High School TBD
October 18, Averill Park vs. Shenendehowa: Averill Park, 7 p.m.